1. Junior returnees and
Sophomores who are
contemplating studying abroad
the following year are invited to
the annual Global Gala to
celebrate the experience of
living overseas.
Students come back excited
about travel!
Dr. Victor Castellani
Chair of the Department of
Languages and Literatures
One of the factors that colors
the students’ experience abroad
most vividly is the language they
communicate in daily, which is
oftentimes not English.

2. Members of the DU Tango
Club perform at the Global
Gala.
Language is a way for
students to connect more
intimately with a culture.
Students want to understand their environment, and they can’t
do that if they can’t communicate. Otherwise, you’re a tourist.
Dr. M. Kathleen Mahnke
Director of the Center for World Languages & Culture

3. While a small number of
students are enrolled in the
Chinese language program at
DU, it is required that all
Chinese minors study abroad
in China.
In fact, Castellani says that
nearly 100% of students
studying Chinese at DU do
study abroad in China.
He would like to see a similar
requirement transfer over to
the other language programs
in the Department.
Students watch a performance of traditional
Chinese drums at the Global Gala.

4. Tory Rust, a Communications Major who manages her own photography company
on the side, studied Spanish in Madrid. Now back in Denver, she wants to learn
French. She believes this new language will help her break into the fashion
industry as a professional photographer.
Guests at the Global Gala view photographs taken by DU students abroad.

5. About 10 percent of
students choose to study
abroad in countries
where the local language
is not taught at DU, like
Botswana.

6. Lauren, a Junior at DU, looks at
the Study Abroad board in the
Delta Zeta house, which marks
the spots across the globe
where members chose to study
abroad in the 2012-2013
academic year.
According to a survey
conducted by the Office of
International Education during
Fall Quarter of 2012, 48
percent of students mention
language acquisition as a very
important reason for choosing
to study abroad.

7. Ali, a Junior, studied
abroad in Sevilla, Spain.
She took Spanish classes
every quarter leading up
to her time in Sevilla.
“I can’t stress enough how
important it is that students
have this foundation before
going abroad,” says Mahnke.
According to Castellani, “We
don’t like to send our
students abroad without a
foundation of two years of
college-level study,” like Ali.

8. Shawna, who studied in Valparaiso, Chile, skypes with
her friend, Simón, a local Chilean she met while abroad.
Students like Shawna continue to find value in the language they
study abroad as they maintain the friendships they developed
overseas once they return home.

9. The Center for World Languages and Cultures provides supplemental
instruction beyond the traditional language classes offered by the Department
of Languages and Literatures.

10. Free one-on-one language
instruction is available to DU
students and the wider
community from Monday to
Friday at the CWLC.
The CWLC sees more
students visiting its language
tutors (offered in Spanish,
French, Arabic, Japanese,
Chinese, Italian, Russian, and
German) in the month of
January than during Fall
Quarter.
Mahnke attributes this
interest to study abroad
returnees eager to keep up
with the language they’ve
acquired.

11. If students ask, we make it happen.
Mahnke
Director of CWLC
The CWLC is keen to hear
from students wanting to
learn less commonly taught
languages. If at least 10
students express interest in
learning a language, then the
CWLC will begin work on
developing a program for its
instruction.

12. Each quarter, the Office of Internationalization organizes the Pioneer Partnership Program.
Domestic students are paired up with international students studying at DU. This
way, DU students can experience study abroad from both perspectives, and help
someone who is developing their English language skills in our own backyard.

13. Step 3
2
Step
DU students can also learn
a new language
independently through
one of the several
language-learning
programs available on
Step 1 Penrose Library’s online
database.